Clutch-gear for hubs of vehicles.



B. SETTERGREN.

GLUTOH GEAR FOR HUBS 0F VEHICLES;

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 6, 1906.

Patented May 25, 1909.

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; on a sufficiently slippery surface.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE. I

HEItNl-IA RD SET'IE RGREN, OF (.l-IICAGO, ILLINOIS, A SSIGNOR TO JOHN GUBBINS,'OF (-HICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CLUTCH-GEAR FOR HUIBS or VEHICLES.

Specification. of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 1909.

Ap lication fi led June 6, 1906. Serial No. 320,404.

' and State of Illinois, have invented'certain new and useful Improvements in Ol ut'cln Gears for the Hubs of Vehicles, of which the following is a clear, full, and exact description.

My invention relates to the driven wheels of vehicles, and particularly automobile wheels, concerning which it has been said that: Slipping and skidding are two different things. Any wheel vehicle may-slip An automobile is the only thing that skids, and it may skid even if the surface is not sli pery. Skiddin is caused by the differentia gear. When t e driving wheels meet an unequal resistance there is a sudden transference of power to the wheel meeting the less resistanc'e. This wheel is driven ahead at increased velocity and gives the car a side thrust which tends to throw it out of line.

When this happens, all that holds the car in line is thetraction of the front wheels. If

they lose traction the car will skid. The

same thing is true in rounding a curve.' The outer wheel does the driving and will keep the car going right around me circle unless the front wheels can straighten it out.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and comparatively inexpensive friction gear for the hubs of said driven wheels, which enables both the wheels of a revolving axle to be driven alike, and when rounding a curve, and the outer wheel exceeds the speed of the inner wheel, it permits the former to run free of the axle until the speed of the axle catches up with it, when said axle again engages; whic enables the power of the revo ving axle to always exert itself on the wheel encountering. the greatest resistance when the resistance of the two wheels vary.

Should this resistance be equally distributed,

my invention enables both wheels to be driven ositively, but should either wheel be' chec ed or retarded the other may slip. This I accomplish by the means hereinafter fully described, and as particularly pointed out in the claims. V

In the drawi'n s:Figure' 1 is a vertical section through t e hub of a wheel embodying my invention. tion taken on dotted line 2, 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3

Fig.2 is a transverse secis a transverse section taken on dotted line 3,3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatical view showing in erspective the collar and clutch in their re ative positions upon the axle, which latter is indicated by dotted lines.

In the drawings A represents a revolving axle having a circumferentialshoulder a between it and its arm I), which latter is, preferably, slightly tapered. B represents the hub of a wheel which, with the exception of one part thereof hereinafter referred to, may be of any suitable design or construction. Keyed to arm b of the axle next its shoulder a is a collar C, the outerv circumference of which is cylindrical, and the face opposite that next shoulder a, is flat and at right angles to the axis thereof, and is provided with V-shaped incut camsurfaces c. There may be one or more of these incut cam surfaces 0 in collar C, but I prefer to have but two of said chamber has its sides beveled inward tov form the frictional contact 6, of a counterart clutch, which is adapted tobe engaged by the correspondingly beveled friction surface between the inner end of said chamber and collar 0. Clutch F is of such dimensions as to ractically'occupy the ortion of chamber D, between collar (J and t e inner end of the chamber, excepting that it is permitted to have a slight play in the direction of the length'of the axle, say one-sixteenth of an inch, more or less. The side of the clutch F opposed to' collar 0 has one or more cam s aped projections g, according to the number of cammed recesses c in said collar, which recesses the are ada ted to enter, and of which they orm the obverse. is adapted to move free onthe arm of the axle, and in order to reduce the friction caused by its contact therewith, I prefer to of a ring-shaped clutch F inteiBosed .75 "them, as shown in the drawings, and to lo- 1 cats the same diametrically opposite each I the wheel u on the roadway will be avoided.

provide it with an annular recess h in the face thereof opposite its cammed projections g,

antifriction devices may be dispensed with,

however, if desired.

In 0 eration, when the axle A is in motion, the collar C revolves therewith and, by reason of the engagement of the inclined sides of the cam projections g of the clutch F, with the inclined side of its recess 0, forces the clutch F away from it and into, contact with the frictional' surface of the counterpart clutch e of the annular chamber D of the hub, and transmitsthe motion of the axle to the wheel. When one wheel travels faster than the other, or when the vehicle is traveling in a curve, and the outer wheel travels faster than the inner wheel, the latter, encounteras it does the greatest resistance, prevents the axle from revolving faster than it. The moment this occurs the outer wheel will revolve freely on the arm I) and clutch F, because of the slight movement of the clutch toward the collar, and thus the skidding of What I c aim as new is 1. A double acting friction ratchet mechanism comprising a driving shaft, a friction member actuated by the driving shaft, a driven member actuated by the friction member, said friction member and driven members being each provided with a single engaging frictional surface for driving the driven member in opposite directions.

2. The combination with a revoluble. axle, and a wheel loosely journaled on the end of the same, of longitudinally movable means loose on said axle and disconnected from said wheel and rovided with a cam that is adapted to transmit the motion of said axle to the wheel but not the motion of said wheel to the axle.

3. The combination with a revoluble axle, and means secured thereto having a cam surface oblique to the axis of the axle, of a hub loose u on said axle, and a device also loose on said axle"but movable longitudinally thereon and disconnected'from said wheel havin a cam surface the counterpart of that of sai means by which it is enga ed.

4. The combination with a revo uble axle,

and a wheel having a hub that is provided with an annular chamber made by expanding its bore at one end, which chamber is provided with a beveled friction surface at its inner end, of Ion 'tudinally movable cam actuated means within said annular chamber disconnected from the axle and wheel and which engages said friction surface and is adapted to transmit the motion of said axle to the wheel, but not the motion of said wheel to the axle.

5. The combination with a revoluble axle, and'a wheel having a hub that is provided with an annular chamber of increased diameter at one end of its bore, the inner end of which chamber is provided with a beveled friction surface, of means secured to said axle having a cam surface oblique to the axis thereof, and a device loose on said axle and having a cam surface the counterpart of said means by which it is actuated to engage said beveled friction surface of said hub.

6. The combination with a revoluble axle, and a wheel having a hub that is provided with an annular chamber of increased diameter at one end of its bore the inner end of which is provided with a beveled friction surface, of means secured to said axle having a cam surface oblique to the axis thereof, and a device having a beveled friction contact surface, which 1s loose on said axle and has a cam surface the counterpart of that of said means whereby it is actuated to cause its beveled friction surface to engage the beveled friction surface in the annular chamber of said hub.

7. The combination with a revoluble axle, and a wheel having a hub that is provided with an annular chamber of increased diameter at one end of its bore, the inner end of which chamber is provided with a beveled friction surface, a collar secured to said axle having a cam surface oblique to the axis thereof, and an annular clutch loose on said axle and disconnected from said wheel and havin arcam surface the counterpart of said collar y WlllCl'l it 18 actuated 'to engage said beveled friction surface of said hub.

8. In a traction drive for automobiles and the hke, a hub formed with a central chamber, a drivlng axle having an axialarrange- -ment in said chamber, a collar in said chamber and fixed on said axle and provided with a V-shaped cam surface at one end, and "a collar arranged loosely in said chamber and formed with a corresponding V-shaped cam surface.

In testimony my hand and seal this 31st day of May, 1906.

IlERNlIARD SETTERGREN. [1.. s]

whereof I have hereunto set- 

